Jermaine O'Neal flips a shot over the Pelicans' Ryan Anderson in the second half.

Jermaine O'Neal flips a shot over the Pelicans' Ryan Anderson in the second half.

Photo: Gerald Herbert, Associated Press

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Caught between David Lee (left) and Klay Thompson, New Orleans' Anthony Davis tries to dish off the ball as he falls.

Caught between David Lee (left) and Klay Thompson, New Orleans' Anthony Davis tries to dish off the ball as he falls.

Photo: Gerald Herbert, Associated Press

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Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee (10) is fouled as he goes to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis (23) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) less

Golden State Warriors power forward David Lee (10) is fouled as he goes to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis (23) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, ... more

Photo: Gerald Herbert, Associated Press

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New Orleans Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson (33) tries to block a shot by Golden State Warriors center Jermaine O'Neal (7) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013. The Warriors won 102-101. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) less

New Orleans Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson (33) tries to block a shot by Golden State Warriors center Jermaine O'Neal (7) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Nov. 26, ... more

Photo: Gerald Herbert, Associated Press

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O'Neal comes up big in Warriors' win

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New Orleans --

Jermaine O'Neal added a sore wrist and a viral infection to the bruised knee and strained groin that had kept him out of the past four games, but there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to play Tuesday night.

"I couldn't even talk a day ago, but my thought process about playing never wavered," O'Neal said. "I just believed that I could go out there and play. Sometimes when your back is against the wall, you focus even more."

With his back inching ever so close to the proverbial wall and his team's collective back already rubbing up against it, O'Neal not only played against the Pelicans, he also delivered in crunch time of the Warriors' 102-101 victory at the New Orleans Arena.

After the Warriors' offense mostly ground to a halt and allowed New Orleans to erase a 15-point deficit, head coach Mark Jackson called O'Neal back into the game and then repeatedly called the 18-season pro's number out of the post.

O'Neal made a turnaround jumper to give the Warriors a 95-93 lead with 3:36 remaining and added a putback hook for a 102-99 lead with 2:12 on the clock. Anthony Davis had a putback dunk to trim the Warriors' lead to one point with 47.2 seconds left, and the Pelicans got a stop on the Warriors' ensuing possession, but Eric Gordon's corner three-point attempt missed in the final seconds.

"It was just what the doctor ordered for us," Jackson said. "Obviously, we value what Jermaine does for us off the bench, but he came in after a long absence and had an impact on both sides of the basketball. Offensively, he was huge for us."

O'Neal finished with season highs of 18 points and eight rebounds, which would have been huge numbers in any event. But given that the Warriors were without four injured players and that starting center Andrew Bogut was relegated to the team's hotel because of a one-game suspension for his part in Saturday's altercation with Portland, O'Neal's efforts were even greater.

Klay Thompson scored a team-high 22 points and tied his career high with eight assists, David Lee had 19 points and seven rebounds, Stephen Curry added 16 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals, and Harrison Barnes chipped in 14 points. Draymond Green had seven points, three assists, three steals and three blocked shots off the bench, and Nemanja Nedovic played some key fourth-quarter minutes, during which he drew a charge.

The Warriors (9-6) needed all of the contributions, and they needed them now. They were on a three-game skid, having missed an opportunity by going 4-3 during a stretch of playing five of seven games at home. Tuesday's game marked the first in a span during which they'll play seven of eight away from Oracle Arena.

"It was a must-win for us," O'Neal said. "If we're going to be a championship-caliber team, we should never lose three games in a row. I don't care who we play."

In fact, that was one of the rules the Warriors agreed to as a team during the preseason. They wanted to respond to any back-to-back losses with enough determination that they wouldn't drop three in a row all season.

Less than a month into the season, the Warriors failed to uphold that rule, but they might end up being better off for it. They showed a different more steely attitude when the Pelicans (6-8) made their second-half run than they had when past opponents had tested them late.

"I don't have any doubt in my mind that the character of this team is being built right now," O'Neal said. "We've been extremely challenged with injuries, but these are the things that build a young team's mind.

"If you can compete with all of these guys out, what can you do with a full roster? It could be unbelievable."